​Mother’s Day—a day where the strongest people on earth finally get some of the recognition they deserve. Moms do so much that tend to go unnoticed or at least unacknowledged. While we’re too busy caught up in our own, sometimes selfish lives, they are always there… praying for you, loving you unconditionally, and just being someone who you can always run back to if something went wrong. Of course I can’t say this for ALL moms out there. But this very true for mine.​I am my mother’s favorite child, although she may not ever admit it out loud because that may cause some sibling rivalry and she doesn’t want to hurt my sister’s feelings. But it’s like an unspoken truth. (If you couldn’t tell, I would definitely be classified as a momma’s boy). ​

As her favorite child I felt like it was my duty to bring her laughter and joy every day that I could. And by-golly, I lived up to that! My mother thought I was so funny she pushed me to do stand-up comedy when I was around 7-years old (maybe 10). I’d perform at different church functions, nothing big like Apollo or anything. But I only did it because I knew I could put a smile on my mother’s face. In fact, my mom laughs so much that it’s almost weird to see her when she’s not smiling.

I’ve only seen my mother cry twice in my almost 30 years of life. And I’m not talking about a church cry, or that one scene in the Notebook that just gets everyone choked up… but a real gut wrenching, painful, only the Lord can console me cry; once when my sister became pregnant in her senior year of high school and once when my father passed away. I’m sure there were other times she cried. Like when she came to visit her then 16-year-old son (me) in a juvenile detention center. Or the second time I was arrested, almost 6 months later when she visited her then 17-year-old son in the same facility. I could only imagine the thoughts that were going through her head “Where did I go wrong? How could I have let this happen? If only I did something different.” For any mothers who have ever felt like this, just know, everything that you do matters.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul talks about how there needs to be oneness in the Church. He talks about spiritual gifts, and how love is the most excellent way. He talks about the great things that God is doing, which brings us to Chapter 15; the greatest chapter in the Bible about the resurrection. God is fixing the world; he’s bringing it back to Him. And Paul chose to end the chapter with this verse (15:58), which Pastor Jeff mentions reminded him of his mother:

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. [NLT].

What does this mean? God will use everything we do for him and his greater work.How does this scripture apply to moms? Allow me to explain. Mothers, you have so much weight on your shoulders. For all the times, you’ve thought that you were probably never doing enough (even though you were); that you were messing up (when you weren’t); that you were failing, and that no one sees you or notices all the good work you’ve done, remember this: everything you do in Christ is noticed, effective and valuable.

What got my mom through, that ultimately got me through were her prayers. Moms, be devoted to Christ and be devoted to prayer. Don’t just pray when the times are bad, but be devoted to prayer. But also, be strategic. Know when to yell at your kids, know when to bring correction, but also know when to give it up to God and pray.

To my mother… to all mothers, release your frustrations. What you do matters. Even when you have oatmeal in your hair and cheerios falling out of places you had no idea they were at, God uses you. Reject comparison. Comparison is the thief of joy, don’t compare yourself to someone else and don’t compare your kids to other kids. Let go of the guilt. You didn’t ruin anyone’s life. Give what you have and don’t worry about what you don’t have. Lastly, you’re not a failure and you did not fail your children. They may stray away for a season, but if you remain devoted to Christ and devoted to prayer, your children won’t stray long. God will work it out on your behalf. He has collected every tear… He has heard every prayer. ​Mother’s Day—it’s your day! After you are done celebrating, give all your problems to God and go to sleep.

Robert Smith is the quintessential poster child for a jack-of-all-trades. He has a servant’s heart, a warrior’s ambition, and a jokester’s mind. He has often been described as the most reserved, outgoing person anyone has met. Robert is passionate about five things, God, family (especially his wife), acting, basketball, and card games. When he’s not preparing for this next big role, you can typically find him wandering the exhibits of the Smithsonian’s in downtown DC.